EPHESIANS 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
OBSERVATION: We are saved with a PURPOSE! Most of us can quote the preceding two verses by heart.
EPHESIANS 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
But this is usually where we stop. We don’t often continue to verse 10. Many treat Grace as if it is a free pass to get into heaven and still continue living the way we did before we accepted Jesus Christ, or more correctly – before He called us, washed us, and saved us through His unmerited favor and love. Jesus did not simply die on the cross so that we could have a ticket to heaven. Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead so that we could be restored to our original call to fulfill God’s purposes and will in our lives.
We are His workmanship. He is the potter and we are the clay. He has called us, cleansed us, and set us apart for a purpose! This purpose is clearly defined. It is for “good works”. Paul contrasts this to our former purpose before we knew Christ.
EPHESIANS 1: 1-3: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”
We use to live our life for our own purpose. We were redeemed from the power of sin and death so that we could live for HIS GOOD PURPOSE! This is a call to live for Jesus, like Jesus, and most importantly – through Jesus. He is our life. We are to do the things He did. And what did He do? He did the works of His Father and He gave His life for others. These are the “good works” that we are created for. Only through Christ can we live selflessly and sacrificially. Only through Christ can we look to the needs of others before our own. Only through Christ can we realize our original purpose and destiny. This is why we were saved by Grace through Faith. WE ARE SAVED FOR A PURPOSE!
Lord, help me to live according to Your purpose for my life. Help me to view Grace, not as a pass to continue in my brokenness, but as Your empowerment to begin to live for Your purpose. I was created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Today, may I begin to live like it! In Jesus Name!
